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New Living Translation

Exodus 18:2

Earlier, Moses had sent his wife, Zipporah, and his two sons back to Jethro, who had taken them in.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Moses;   Zipporah;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;   Kenites, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jethro;   Zipporah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Eliezer;   Pentateuch;   Zipporah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Hobab;   Zipporah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Gershom;   Hobab;   Jethro;   Judges;   Moses;   Zipporah;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jethro ;   Zipporah ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Zip'porah,;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Rephidim;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Exodus, the;   On to Sinai;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Jethro;   Sent;   Wanderings of Israel;   Zipporah;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Eliezer;   Jethro;   Oral Law;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Yitro, Moshe' father-in-law, received Tzipporah, Moshe' wife, after he had sent her away,
King James Version
Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,
Lexham English Bible
And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took Zipporah the wife of Moses after her sending away,
New Century Version
Now Moses had sent his wife Zipporah to Jethro, his father-in-law,
New English Translation
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife Zipporah after he had sent her back,
Amplified Bible
Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away [from Egypt],
New American Standard Bible
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took in Moses' wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away,
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Iethro the father in lawe of Moses, tooke Zipporah Moses wife, (after he had sent her away)
Legacy Standard Bible
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away,
Contemporary English Version
In the meantime, Moses had sent his wife Zipporah and her two sons to stay with Jethro, and he had welcomed them. Moses was still a foreigner in Midian when his first son was born, and so Moses said, "I'll name him Gershom." When his second son was born, Moses said, "I'll name him Eliezer, because the God my father worshiped has saved me from the king of Egypt."
Complete Jewish Bible
After Moshe had sent away his wife Tzipporah and her two sons, Yitro Moshe's father-in-law had taken them back.
Darby Translation
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,
Easy-to-Read Version
So Jethro went to Moses while Moses was camped near the mountain of God. Jethro brought Moses' wife, Zipporah, with him. (Zipporah was not with Moses, because Moses had sent her home.)
English Standard Version
Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home,
George Lamsa Translation
Then Jethro, Moses father-in-law, took his daughter Zipporah, Moses wife, after he had sent her back,
Good News Translation
So he came to Moses, bringing with him Moses' wife Zipporah, who had been left behind,
Christian Standard Bible®
Now Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law, had taken in Zipporah, Moses’s wife, after he had sent her back,
Literal Translation
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, (after Moses had sent her away,)
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
he toke Zipora Moses wife, whom he had sent backe,
American Standard Version
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
Bible in Basic English
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therefore he toke Sephora Moyses wyfe, after he had sent her backe,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
King James Version (1611)
Then Iethro Moses father in law tooke Zipporah Moses wife, after he had sent her backe,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Jothor the father-in-law of Moses, took Sepphora the wife of Moses after she had been sent away,
English Revised Version
And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
Berean Standard Bible
After Moses had sent back his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro had received her,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
he took Sefora, `the wijf of Moises, whom he hadde sent ayen,
Young's Literal Translation
and Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, taketh Zipporah, wife of Moses, besides her parents,
Update Bible Version
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
Webster's Bible Translation
Then Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, took Zipporah Moses's wife, after he had sent her back,
World English Bible
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, received Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
New King James Version
Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,
New Life Bible
Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, had taken Moses' wife, Zipporah, after Moses had sent her away.
New Revised Standard
After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro took her back,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So Jethro, Moses father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses wife, - after she had been sent home;
Douay-Rheims Bible
He took Sephora, the wife of Moses, whom he had sent back:
Revised Standard Version
Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zippo'rah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away,

Contextual Overview

1 Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about everything God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites. He heard especially about how the Lord had rescued them from Egypt. 2 Earlier, Moses had sent his wife, Zipporah, and his two sons back to Jethro, who had taken them in. 3 (Moses' first son was named Gershom, for Moses had said when the boy was born, "I have been a foreigner in a foreign land." 4 His second son was named Eliezer, for Moses had said, "The God of my ancestors was my helper; he rescued me from the sword of Pharaoh.") 5 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, now came to visit Moses in the wilderness. He brought Moses' wife and two sons with him, and they arrived while Moses and the people were camped near the mountain of God. 6 Jethro had sent a message to Moses, saying, "I, Jethro, your father-in-law, am coming to see you with your wife and your two sons."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Zipporah: Exodus 2:21, Exodus 4:25, Exodus 4:26

Reciprocal: Exodus 18:24 - General Acts 7:29 - Madian

Cross-References

Genesis 18:3
"My lord," he said, "if it pleases you, stop here for a while.
Genesis 18:6
So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, "Hurry! Get three large measures of your best flour, knead it into dough, and bake some bread."
Genesis 18:7
Then Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a tender calf and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it.
Genesis 18:11
Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children.
Genesis 18:16
Then the men got up from their meal and looked out toward Sodom. As they left, Abraham went with them to send them on their way.
Genesis 19:1
That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there, and when he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed with his face to the ground.
Genesis 23:7
Then Abraham bowed low before the Hittites
Genesis 32:24
This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break.
Genesis 43:26
When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought him, then bowed low to the ground before him.
Genesis 43:28
"Yes," they replied. "Our father, your servant, is alive and well." And they bowed low again.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses's wife,.... When he had heard of the above things, he determined to pay Moses a visit, and congratulate him on that account; and he took his daughter, the wife of Moses, along with him, to deliver her to her husband, to share with him in his cares and troubles; as to partake with him of his honours and dignity, so to bear part with him in his burdens, so far as she was capable of:

after he had sent her back: upon his call and mission to Egypt, he took his wife and children with him; but upon an affair which occurred in the inn by the way, he sent them back again to his father-in-law, where they had remained ever since, see Exodus 4:24. Jarchi says this was done at meeting with Aaron his brother, Exodus 4:27, and relates a conversation between them upon it. As that Aaron should say to him, who are these? to which he replied, this is my wife, I married her in Midian, and these are my sons: he further said to him, and where art thou carrying them? he replied, to Egypt; says he, by reason of those who are before there, we are in straits, and thou wilt add unto them; upon which he said to his wife, go back to thy father's house, and she took her sons and went thither. Kimchi f observes, that some render the words "after her gifts"; whose sense, according to Aben Ezra, is, after she had sent gifts to her husband; but others more probably interpret it of gifts sent by him to her to engage his father-in-law to let her come to him, as well as to prevail upon her to come; perhaps it may be better rendered, "after her messenger"; that is, either after the messenger sent to her by Moses, to acquaint her and her father of what had been done for him, or after the messenger she sent to him, to let him know that she intended shortly to be with him; though perhaps, after all, nearer to our version and others, it may be rendered, "after her dismissions" g; the dismission or sending away of her and her sons, as before related; for this is by no means to be interpreted of a divorce of her; after which she was brought again to her husband; for there is no reason to believe that ever anything of that kind had passed, as some have thought h: the plain case seems to be this, that Moses finding his family would be exposed to danger, or would be too great an incumbrance upon him in the discharge of his great work he had to do in Egypt, sent them back to his father-in-law until a fit opportunity should offer of their coming to him, as now did.

f Sepher Shorash. rad. שלח "post dona vel donationes ejus"; so some in Vatablus and Drusius. g אהר שלוחיה "post dimissiones ejus", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius. h Vid. Selden. Uxor. Hebr. p. 629.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 18:2. After he had sent her back — Why Zipporah and her two sons returned to Midian, is not certainly known. From the transaction recorded Exodus 4:20; Exodus 4:24, it seems as if she had been alarmed at the danger to which the life of one of her sons had been exposed, and fearing worse evils, left her husband and returned to her father. It is however possible that Moses, foreseeing the troubles to which his wife and children were likely to be exposed had he taken them down to Egypt, sent them back to his father-in-law till it should please God to deliver his people.

Jethro, now finding that God had delivered them, and totally discomfited the Egyptians, their enemies, thought it proper to bring Zipporah and her sons to Moses, while he was in the vicinity of Horeb.


 
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